by Sarah Shaffi

A mum of seven has been left trying to work out how to be in two places at once after the council split her children into different infant schools.

Penny Grierson’s six-year-old son Bryn is a pupil at St John’s in New Street, Chatham. His younger brother Brock, four, was due to join him there in September but the school is now earmarked for closure this year by Medway Council.

The impending closure means the boys have been allocated different schools, leaving their mum wondering how she will be able to get Bryn to Delce Infants in Fleet Road, Rochester, and Brock to Balfour Infants in Pattens Lane, Rochester, at the same time.

Mrs Grierson, 45, of Ordnance Street, Chatham, said: “How on earth am I going to do this? I don’t have a problem with the schools we’ve been allocated, just with the locations.

“It’s a ridiculous and frustrating situation.

“I phoned Balfour Infants to see if they’ve got a place for Bryn, but there are no vacancies.”

Both Mrs Grierson and husband Wayne, 40, work as nurses, so usually only one of them is home for the school run.

Their son Drake, 10, goes to Balfour Junior in Balfour Road, Chatham, while son Troy, 12, gets a taxi to Trinity School in New Road, Chatham, a school for children with learning difficulties.

Daughter Freya, 14, goes to The Thomas Aveling in Arethusa Road, Rochester, while youngest son Wraith , two, goes to Kidstreet in Jenkins Dale, Chatham, or the White Road Playgroup in White Road, Chatham.

Youngest child Orla , seven months, is due to start at Kidstreet in July.

A council spokesman said: “Medway’s primary school admissions process has been completed.

“Parents were given the opportunity to express their preferences for alternative schools. These places have now been allocated.

“The council is unable to comment on individual cases as the future of St John’s is being decided by the Office of the Schools Adjudicator.”

Campaigners to save St John’s met an adjudicator on May 17. If the adjudicator chooses to go along with Medway Council’s decision, the school will shut on August 31.

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